Fluorescent light fixture

ABSTRACT

A fluorescent lighting fixture composed of a drum-shaped globe with an internal phosphor coating and composed of upper and lower walls, interjoined by a central glass core and an outer annular wall to provide a hermetically sealed chamber. A ballastcontaining chamber is provided above and integral with the globe and has provision thereon for connection to a conventional incandescent light socket. Provided in the globe are cathode and anode filaments and a mercury gas. The cathode and anode filaments are connected to the ballast.

United States Patent [72] Inventor William J. McNeil 719 Kahl Bldg.,Davenport, Iowa 52800 [21] Appl. No. 834,048 [22] Filed June 17, 1969[45] Patented Oct. 5, 1971 [54] FLUORESCENT LIGHT FIXTURE 2 Claims, 6Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 315/57, 313/109, 313/204, 313/220, 313/318, 315/62, 315/DIG.5 [51] lnt.Cl I-I0lj 7/44 [50] Field of Search. ..315/57,10O U, DIG. 5,62; 313/109, 204, 220, 318

[ 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,551,736 12/1970 Doehner315/100 2,279,635 4/1942 Morley 315/57 X Re. 22,896 7/1947 Polevitzky2,987,640 6/1961 Paolino 313/220 X 2,985,787 5/1961 Scott 313/220 X3,024,383 3/1962 Doering 313/109 X Primary ExaminerRoy Lake AssistantExaminerDarwin R. Hostetter Attorney-William A. Murray ABSTRACT: Afluorescent lighting fixture composed of a mercury gas. The cathode andanode filaments are connected to the ballast.

FLUORESCENT ucrrr FIXTURE BACKGROUND OF INVENTION This invention relatesto a fluorescent light fixture that may be used in a conventionalscrew-type incandescent light fixture. It is composed of upper andlowergas chambers with the lower chamber having upper and lower parallelglass panes joined at their outer edges by an annular pane and at theircenters by a glass core. The lower chamber has the elements andingredients for providing fluorescent .lighting. The upper chamber aseparable into parts and supportsa ballast therein. The upper of the twoparts has a screw-type connection for an incandescent light fixture.

It is the object of the invention to provide a fluorescent globe adaptedfor connection to a screw-type incandescent light fixture.

Specifically it is the object of the invention to provide a globestructure composed of a lower chamber having a pair of glass panesspaced apart and sealed at their edges to form a sealed chamber. Theglass panes have a phosphor coating on their inner surfaces and thechamber is filled with a mercury gas. Suitable electrical filaments forexciting the gas are provided adjacent the panes andserve to illuminatethe surfaces. The globe structure also includes an upperballast-containing chamber with a screw-type connection to anincandescent light fixture. The upper chamber has therein electricalconnections extending from the screw-type connection to the ballast, andfrom the ballast to the electrical filaments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of the lightfixture.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the fixture mostly in section.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the fixture with part thereof being insection to show internal structure.

FIG. 4 is a top and side perspective view of the ballast.

FIG. 5 is a bottom and side perspective view of the ballast.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a juncture in the upperballast chamber.

The fixture I0 is composed of a lower chamber portion 11 having a pairof upper and lower horizontal glass panes 16, 17 spaced verticallyapart. The panes 16, 17 are provided with and are integrallyinterconnected by a central vertical glass core and an outer annularglass wall or pane 18 so as to create or define a hermetically sealedlower chamber or compartment 19. The inner surfaces of panes 15-18 areprovided, at least in part with a lining or coating 20 of a phosphormaterial. Retained in the chamber 19 adjacent the upper. and lowerpanels adjacent the core 15 and outer wall 18 respectively are a pair offilament panels 22, 23. The upper panel 16 has a downwardly projectingwall 24 outward of the upper inner filament 22 and the lower wall 17 hasan upwardly projecting round wall 25 inward of the outer filament 23.

The fixture 10 also includes an upper chamber portion '30 that has aballast control member 31 contained therein. The chamber is constructedof two separable pieces 32, 33. The piece 32 is of cap shape having anouter wall portion 34 of a hard insulating type of material and aninternal metal and con ducting liner 35 of a copper or conductingmaterial. The piece 33 is of a ceramic material suitably cemented to theupper surface of the glass wall 16. The liner 35 necksdown and projectsupwardly through the ceramic cap 34 and has an outer threaded wall 36that may be received in an incandescent lighting fixture. The wall 36has an internal ceramic core 37 with a central electrical conductor 38having an external contact plate 39 and an internal plate conductor 40that holds a spring-type contact 41. The wall 36 and contact plate 39are of conventional type, the wall 36 being a conductor-of the negativeelectric pole and the plate 39 being the conductor for the positivepole. The lower part 33 has an integral upwardly projecting embossmentthat is hollow and upwardly opening to receive the lower end of theballast 31. The embossment is provided with an externally threaded metalring 41 that threadedly receives the lower end of the cover 32 tothereby hold the cover on and to form therewith the ballast chamber. Anelectrical contact 42 or conductor passes through the wall 45 internallyof the wall 45. g

' The ballast-31 is of a conventional type with the exception of itscontact points. The ballast 31 has an upper U-shaped contact that ispositioned to contact the conductor plate 40 and an annular conductorring or collar 51 that is adapted to engage the contact 42. The lowerhorizontal wall of the ballast 32 includes a downwardly facing surfaceconductor ring 53 and a central inner contact plate 54. Thus, theballast 32 has input contacts 50, 51 and output contacts 53, 54. Theupper pane 16 also has on its base portion 45 an upwardly facing surfacewith a central electrical contact point 56 embedded in the glass andouter spring contacts 57 spaced from and adapted to contact the, ring53. The central point 56 is adapted to engage the contact plate 54. Awire connection 58 extends from the contact point 56 to the lowerfilament 23, the wire being embedded in the glass core 15 and the lowerwall 17. A wire connection 59 extends from the contacts 57 to the upperfilament 22, such wire being embedded in the upper wall 16.

A self-hardening plug 60 that is capable of maintaining the globe sealedis provided in the upper pane 16 and it is through the opening which theplug 60 fills that a mercury vapor gas of a type usedin fluorescentlighting is introduced into the lower chamber 19.

y In operation electricity introduced into' the ballast 32 through themetal liner 35, 36 and the conductor 38. When the cap 32 is fullyscrewed down on the embossed portion 45 and its threaded metal wall 36,the ring 51 and contact 50 are positioned to engage the contact 46 andplate 40 respectively.

.Also, the ring 53 and contact 54 of the ballast engage the contacts 56,57 of the base portion 45. Thus, the electricity transmitted through aconventional-type incandescent fixture is transmitted first through theballast 32 and from thence to the filaments 22, 23. One filament becomesthe anode and the other the cathode for the fluorescent circuit. Astarter switch, if desired, may be inserted in the present circuitalthough one is not designed into the circuit. The ballast 32 is not ofthe type requiring a separate starter switch.

In order to give a brighter light in the room, the internal surfaces ofthe panes 16, 17 and 18 are internally serrated as at 61.

1 claim:

1. A fluorescent lighting fixture comprising a lower sealed compartmenthaving upper and lower walls, and an outer wall joining the upper andlower walls, said sealed compartment being filled with a chargeablevapor gas for effecting fluorescence and coated internally with aphosphor coating, and an upper compartment composed of upper and lowerseparable parts, the lower part being rigid with the lower compartmentand the upper part having an upwardly projecting connection for anincandescent fixture; divider walls fixed internally of the lowercompartment for dividing the lower compartment into adjoining sectionsin communication with one another. and for providing a tortuous path forelectrons to flow; a drum-shaped ballast within the upper compartmenthaving positive contact points at its upper and lower ends, a negativecontact ring around its girth, and a negative discharge ring at itslower end; spaced positive and negative .filaments within the lowercompartment for charging the gases; electrical conductor means extendingfrom the connection to the upper compartment and including a centralconductor extending between the upwardly projecting connection and upperpositive contact point and a negative conductor extending from thenegative contact of said incandescent connection and the ring around thegirth; and electrical conductor means extending between the uppercompartment and lower compartment in contact with and carrying currentthrough the ballast to the respective filaments including contact pointsbetween the positive point and negative ring at the lower end of theballast.

to receive and transmit current from the incandescent connection to thefilaments.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 in which said separable parts arethreadedly joined and when threadedly joined a predetermined amount willplace the ballast in proper position to receive and transmit currentfrom the incandescent connection to the filaments.